Thaipusam (late January
or early February)

The Entrance of the Batu Caves

Thaipusam, a day of consecration to the
Hindu deity, Lord Murugan, sometimes also called Lord Subramaniam.
A feature of the festival is the carrying of a kavadi, a frame decorated
with colored papers, tinsels, fresh flowers, and fruits as a form of
penance. In Kuala Lumpur, Hindus carrying the kavadi make the annual
pilgrimage to the Batu Caves in Selangor,
where the kavadi is carried up the 272 steps to the entrance of the
great cave and deposited at the feet of the deity.

On
the eve of Thaipusam, the grounds of Batu Caves are transformed into
a fairyland of lights. Kavadi-carrying begins after sunset. Devotees
and penitents carry Kavadis, which are gaily decorated wooden or steel
paraphernalia. Some have entered a trance, and pierced their cheeks,
tongues, or foreheads. The next day they will return to their ordinary
lives, cleansed. Open-door observers of the kavadi do not have to participate
in this ritual unless they really, really want to. Apart from the mortification
of flesh, other forms of devotion are practiced, such as honey or milk
offerings.